After so many 1-year deals, Geno Smith may seek free agency he’s earned. Seahawks will...?

Geno Smith entered the huddle with what was left of the Seahawks’ season. It was overtime. The Lumen Field crowd was loud. The Los Angeles Rams’ defense was buzzing, trying to be spoilers.

“He reminded us when we were in the huddle ‘Hey, just calm down. It’s just football,’” Seattle wide receiver Tyler Lockett said.

“Man, Geno just showed us who he’s always been. He’s a gamer. Even when it’s all on the line he’s going to go out there still be poised, still going to play. It’s hard, especially when you go out there and things don’t go your way early on. We had picks and stuff like that, but to show the fight and how you respond, that’s what you want in a player, that’s what you want in a teammate, somebody that’s just going to keep on fighting.”

Of all the mantras Pete Carroll has — “all in” and “protect the ball” and more — the one Smith lived best this Seahawks season was “the epitome of poise.”

It’s about to make Smith life-changing money, for the first time in his 10-year career.

Smith rallied from two bad interceptions to lead the Seahawks offense to a tie that forced overtime Sunday. Then his clutch, 17-yard pass to Lockett set up Jason Myers with the field goal in the extra period that sent Seattle past the Rams 19-16 in the regular-season finale at Lumen Field.

The 32-year-old Smith ended his first season as an NFL starter in eight years with four Seahawks season records for passing. He broke three of Russell Wilson’s (for completions, yards and completion percentage) plus one of Matt Hasselbeck’s marks (pass attempts).

Smith was selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time.

He’s never had a multiyear contract since his rookie one he signed with the New York Jets. That was in 2013. In seven years as a backup with four teams, all he’s had have been one-year deals. That’s what he had this year: one year, $3.5 million to replace the traded Wilson as Seattle’s starter. He beat out Drew Lock this summer for the job.

Now he’s two months from going on the free-agent market, not as a backup but as a proven, Pro Bowl passer that finished 9-8 and took a young team to playoff contention through its final regular-season game.

That open market could net him $25 million to $30 million per year, based on how he played — and how, say, 35-year-old Ryan Tannehill earns $29.5 million per year from Tennessee.

Given all that, given the seven years he waited as a backup, Smith doesn’t sound like he’s about to deny himself the opportunity to see what the market bears for him. No matter how much the Seahawks may want him to return for 2023, and/or beyond.

“You know, the thing is that it’s a business. Football is a business,” Smith said. “A lot of people have a lot of decisions to make. That’s where I’ll leave it at.

“I feel great about where I stand with this organization and my teammates and everybody else. But it’s always — it’s always a business first. So I look at it like that. I understand that.

“And I have to handle my business, as well.”

That last line indicates Smith wants to test the market.

Franchise tag?

The Seahawks have a weapon to keep him from doing that. They could use the franchise or transition tags.

NFL teams can use one of each every offseason on a player to keep him from free agency. A transition tag or a non-exclusive franchise tag allows other teams to make offers, but the tagging team retains the right to match, or gets high draft-pick compensation if the tagged player signs with another team.

The Seahawks could also use the exclusive franchise tag. That would bind Smith to Seattle for 2023, at a one-year salary that is an average of the top average annual salaries for the league’s quarterbacks.

That is a costly move to be so restrictive. The estimated 2023 cost to give a QB an exclusive franchise tag is $32.45 million for one year.

The transition tag cost for a quarterback in 2023 is expected to be $30.4 million.

Smith’s play this season has changed the Seahawks’ thinking entering it. The team’s goal after trading Wilson for top draft choices plus three players from Denver is to use the four picks Seattle has in the first two rounds in the 2023 draft — two of the Broncos’ and two of their own — to select one of the multiple, elite, NFL-ready quarterbacks scouts believe this year’s draft has.

Denver beating the already-in-the-playoffs Chargers Sunday dropped the Seahawks’ first pick in this spring’s draft from third to fifth overall. High enough to take a new starting quarterback.

But with Smith’s performance plus Seattle’s pressing need on the defensive and offensive lines, the Seahawks could draft elite run stoppers and pass protectors first. Then they could draft a quarterback they wouldn’t need to start right away, if they re-sign Smith to the multiyear deal he’s seeking and deserves.

Smith and Lock, the former Broncos starter who did not play a down this Seahawks season, are both due to be free agents in March.

Pete Carroll likes QB situation, but...

Asked Sunday night about his quarterback situation for 2023, coach Pete Carroll mostly demurred.

“Well, we have work to do, but our system is really good. The system is really good,” Carroll said. “What we’re asking these guys to do, for him to come in as a first-year starter and five years or whatever it is to execute like he has done all year long. I think 69.8 completion percentage for the season and all the touchdowns and all the plays he has made and the — I think our quarterback position is great.

“But he is going to be a free agent, so we have work to do. We never got a chance to see Drew, but I’ve seen a lot of him, and I like what he does, too. I think our quarterback situation, if we can get him signed, is a great situation going forward. We know what we got.”

Lockett, the offense’s captain, finished with nine touchdown catches from Smith this season. That’s one more than he had in 2021 and in 2020.

He made it clear what he wants at quarterback in 2023.

“Shoot, I mean, he better come back,” Lockett said.

“Obviously, I want the best for him, and hopefully we can have that conversation in exit meetings...But he’s played phenomenal. He’s put himself in a great position.

“I’m grateful he got his opportunity. He took advantage of it and he’s playing great.”